River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-08-18


felt those long letters which had TO
read and rercad so often quite an infli'
ton at first. and then she had come [
take strange interest in them. and
the Scotch girl on the banks of tn
HOoghIy. 50 Tar from her kith and kir
and pining in her luxurious HON,
longing 10 win for herself the first plac
in preoccupied heart-not happy
but very accomplishing, never murmuI
ing at the burden which she had rashl
taken upon herself. but striving TO bea
it meekly, and above all, to prevent
from overshadowing and crushing he
mother. This unknown Janet, who's
+ silks and satins, whose laces and jewels
/ had al first seemed 81 contemplate il
I Helen Marsden' ; ewes when placed b
/ the side Of her own earnest hard work
/ ing life was. after all. sorrowful
7 seif-Sacriticing wOman-mneh n sh'
had been herself subduing and hiding
Undera smile her disappointment anC
anguish lest they should pain the fond
faithful heart of the old mother a
home.
To the tender hearted little portrait
painter this pathetic drama. played ou
in the sumptuous mansion at Garder
Reach and in the prosaic, comfortabl,
Scotch house on the opposite side Of the
street, had an indescribable interest.
II took her ont of herself and away
from her morbid broOding over the
past. When she sat At work i'm her
lonely room, instead IF her imagination
recalling again and again a thousand
times over those youthful dreams
which could never become realities for
her. il centred rather in that divided
home IF which she knew so little. in
that woman like herself. but Younger
and fairer. whom she had never seen,
until she began to long for letters from
Janet almost n much as Mrs. Saund-
ers did. The last letter that had come
had been short. almost constrained.
awakening vague doubts and anxieties
fears that neither of the two friends
cared to put into words, and vet that
neither could forget :
I'VE shall have long letter by
the next mail. | am sure" Miss Mars
ten had said; and Mrs. Saunders,
whether she quite shared in the expec-
tation or not. was comforted by the
words. and took a melancholy pleasure,
in the hushed twilight Of the spring
evenings. in telling her companion all
the sorrUWful tales she could remem-
Der.
At last the eagerly expected mail ar
rived. bringing mournfuI news for the
poor old lady-Janet was dead. and
Janet's child. in charge of any ayah.
wa, coming home to her mother. to be
cared for a lovingly and tenderly a.
Janet had been. Sitting in her arm
chair, Mrs. Saunders cried softly to her
self. but with no frantic despair in her
heart.
Il am going to her she said. ..very
soon, perhaps; even at the longest it
cannot he many years" and the thought
-oothed her and made her patient.
But when Miss MarSden called i'm the
evening and she dropped in almost
every evening now-her heart would
iii. ana - would her poor eyes, before
She recited ,.flcsh the story of her loss.
which she always did with much detail,
FOR II seemed 10 60 Mort her ineXpres-
>ihlv 10 talk about ii.
..Mv dear" she said one evening
turning wiStfully to her sympathetic
listener. II DO not weary you. do I?''
Mo. answered Miss Marsden. soft
Il. Il too. have known grief; |, too.
ann alone in the world.
When She said that, Mrs. Saunders
put ont her trembling old hand and pat
ted her gently; but she did not speak.
a. she would have done short time be-
fore. or try to avail herself e the soft
euiuw influence of mutual grief. She
was too exhausted. too much exhausted
with her own sorrow. to be curious any
longer about Miss Mars,len's history.
Then. Is the DAYS went by, the imme-
diate pressure Of her supreme anguish,
which seemed 10 change the whole
world around her, wore off. and com
mon things took their ordinary aspect
again; life's everyday duties had to be
met, life's everyday necessities encoun-
tered; there were arrangements TO make
for her new inmate. and Janet's old
nursery had to be put in order for Jan
et's child. In all these matters Miss
Mar>den was very helpful to her old
friend. and, when the child did come
home-a dark. large eyed, sweet-faced
little creature-he took to her; it was
ON to her knee that he loved to climb,
bahbliug away to her in his strange
baby half English. half Hindoostance.
OF course she painted many portraits
Of him-portraits in every va iety OF
attitude. and with varying degrees OF
excellence; and. in PLAYING with him,
laughing with him, teaching him, the
morbid Influences that had long
darkcned her life seemed gradually to
pass away; her grave brow and the lines
about the corner of her sweet mouth
relaxed. and she became prettier a.
some Of the light-heartedness of her
youth came back TO her. Poor old
grandmamml was left to take the
second place in Master Toms affections
and she took il not ungratefully; but
sometimes. when she found herself
alone ut night. after Miss Marsden had
gone home and the little ruler Of the
household was n his crib upstairs, She
would cry softly. and feel that it wa.
4 little hard that she-Janet's mother
had not the first place in the alice.
tionS Of Janet'S child. These little out
break, Of indignation were known only
to herself. and they seemed only t
make her tender old nature sweeter an,
kinder when they were past. She wa
gratefully conscious that she oweC
much to Helen Marsden. and she be
came more and more .ond of her.
1t almost seems. She said to her
self. with little sob, las if heaven ha'
sent me another daughter in Janet
place.
Thus the time sped on, through tn,
warmth and brightness Of summer t
I the chill. gray autumn weather. Jane
/ had been more than II months in he
grave. when one morning The Indial
4 mail brought a letter. which. if it iii,
not distress Mrs. Saunders. startled am
4 iiScomposed her very much. Her son
in-law Was coming home-,Ianet's hus
band. whom she had never loved an
with whom She had always been upO
terms Of the most painful constraint
/ She did not show that letter to Mis-
/ Marsden. although she could hear he
singing softly in the nursery above
merry song Of the old times for Mastt
Toms benefit: she managed to e
through II herself with her weary oil